Ars Technica takes a look at the Larian Studios RPG title Beyond Divinity. How …

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Beyond what?

Beyond Divinity is Larian Studio?s latest role-playing game set in the Divinity Universe. Some of you may have been, umm,. blessed with experiencing the gameplay of 2002's RPG sleeper hit, Divine Divinity. For those who have not yet had a chance to check out that acclaimed title you?re in luck. The producers were kind enough to include it as a bonus, free of charge, with the purchase of Beyond Divinity.

Divine Divinity offered a unique blend of fast-paced action and story-driven questing set in a vast and highly interactive world. You took on the role of a wanderer who awakes in a strange village with no memory of his or her immediate past, and no real direction. As the game progresses, you learn more about the nature of your character and the world around you, and you make decisions as to how your character fits into that world. Fans of the original should know that although Larian has built on top of Divine Divinity?s foundation, Beyond Divinity is not a sequel or an expansion pack, but a new gaming experience set in the same universe as its predecessor.

A definite objective

Unlike the original game, Beyond Divinity sets you in a clearly-defined role with a definite objective from the very start. The open-ended feeling of Divine Divinity is gone, replaced with a linear, point-A-to-point-B style of storytelling. The plot line and the role-playing aspect have similarly been simplified. The skill system, on the other hand, has been given more depth, and the addition of an ever-present second-party member has added a new level of tactical possibility to combat. All in all, the second entry in the Divinity series has moved towards an action-oriented, RPG-lite game style, with more emphasis on combat and character improvement and less on exploration and role-playing.

Now it may be just us, but we think those of you who are fans of the Diablo series may have just perked up your ears. But is this game a Diablo killer? Well, we'll try to speak to that thought as we hit the highlights.